Roanoke Gets a Big-Time Swimming Mention

Did you know Roanoke is one of the nation’s top swimming cities?

The region made USA Swimming’s “50 Top Swim Cities” list for 2016 and is in the company of locations such as top-ranked San Jose-Santa Clara, Calif.

Roanoke was also the biggest mover on this list, leaping 49 spots to No. 45 in the annual ranking. Roanoke, in its debut on the list, was one of three Virginia locations to make the top 50.

Each city’s ranking is based on an aggregate score in categories including percentage of active swimmers and swim clubs, swim team growth, number of accessible pools and volume of top-level swimmers from the area. Cities in the top 50 had an MSA population of 250,000 or higher.

“The top swim cities exemplifies all the qualities that make the sport of swimming great with strong community involvement, ease of access and ability to grow the sport,” said Matt Farrell, chief marketing officer for USA Swimming. “We want to invite people of all ages across the country to join the sport of swimming and we hope this list inspires more kids and families to get involved.”

You can view the entire list from USA Swimming.